Internet Fraud

Internet Fraud

Internet fraudsters sometimes use the names of NAO staff, including the NAO Chairman and the Comptroller & Auditor General (C&AG), or derivatives of “National Audit Office”, in an attempt to defraud people through e-mail scams.

One recent e-mail scam included an image of a UK passport (fake passport) containing a photograph of a former head of the NAO.

Examples of other e-mail scams include

A message alleging to come from the C&AG (head of the NAO) offering to transfer funds to your bank account.
This is not a genuine letter. No matter how real these messages may seem, even if they have authentic-looking NAO logos, stamps, or forms of identification (such as a passport), please note that no member of NAO staff will ever offer to transfer funds into a personal bank account.

Unsolicited e-mail entitled “INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP WANTED” claiming to be from the “National Lottery Audit department UK” and offering to fix a lottery draw for the benefit of the e-mail recipient.
This is not a genuine e-mail but seeks to lure the recipient into parting with confidential details and money through fraudulent representations.

There are also e-mails entitled “UN TRAINING” or “UN JOB VACANCY” which claim to come from the National Audit Office Recruitment Department. These e-mails offer “refundable” training, with the promise of a lucrative UN job at the end. These are not genuine e-mails and seek to lure the recipient into parting with money and bank details in order to defraud them.

The e-mails described above are not genuine and are nothing to do with the NAO.
We can only advise that you ignore them and do not respond to them.

Recent scams

Telephone calls and e-mails purporting to be from NAO staff

The NAO has received reports from members of the public and from private companies, that they have been contacted, either by telephone or e-mail, by individuals claiming to be NAO staff. These telephone calls and e-mails have sought to obtain information / data (including personal data, such as names and addresses).

It is highly unlikely that NAO staff would contact members of the public or private companies directly, either by telephone or e-mail.

Such telephone calls and e-mails are not genuine and nothing to do with the NAO. We advise that you ignore them and do not respond to them.

Reporting scams

If you wish to make us aware of such telephone calls or e-mails, you should contact us through our contact page.

We would recommend that you report such incidents to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and internet crime reporting centre.